> How are they (cells) packed? how is their temperature maintained? At
> what stage of the cells development would be best for a quick delivery
> so they do not emerge before installation?

Here in Australia it is common to ship queen cells.  We do it.

The method we use is a 6 pack esky (a foam container that holds 6 stubbies
of beer) filled with sawdust.  We heat the sawdust in an incubator to 35 -
36 centigrade.  We pack the cells in, sometimes two rows if needed.  We can
fit just over 100 in a single layer and 200 in a double layer.  You put a
layer of the sawdust down first, put in a row of cells and fill with the
remaining sawdust.

The cells are 15 days old, which means they hatch the next day.  If you ship
any younger you risk damage to the wings.

When we pack the cells in the esky, we put it back in the incubator until it
has to go or be collected.

Some beekeepers collect them and we ship by bus to other beekeepers.  We
have shipped them up to 1800 kilometres by bus and further by air.  Or
course air only takes a couple of hours.  One thing by air make sure they go
in the pressurised cargo hold.  If not they freeze.

We do not do anything to maintain temperature as our temperatures are not
cold compared to some countries.  Today we are expecting 34 centigrade and
we have had that for several days now.  Further south it will be in the low
forties

With queen cells, heat is a larger enemy than cold.  We use the same method
of eskies and sawdust for our own cells when we are catching.  When we have
had excess cells, I have left them out of the incubator in the grafting shed
and they do hatch the next day.

Most beekeepers use the cells to put into nucs and do not use them to try to
re-queen hives.  We have found that if the hive is too strong it will
destroy the queen cell unless you use some form of cell protection and then
there is no guarantee they will not try to destroy it.

Trevor Weatherhead
AUSTRALIA

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